Australian journalist Cheng Lei released from China

STORY: Cheng, who was tried in secret in March 2022, arrived in Melbourne and has been reunited with her two children and family, Albanese told a press conference.

"(The) government has been seeking this for a long period of time and her return will be warmly welcomed not just by her family and friends but by all Australians," he said.

Her release follows the completion of legal processes in China, he said. There was no immediate comment from the judiciary in China.

Cheng, 48, was a business television anchor for Chinese state television when she was detained in August 2020 for allegedly sharing state secrets with another country.

Australia had repeatedly raised concerns about her detention, which came as China widened blocks on Australian exports amid a diplomatic dispute that is gradually easing.